Iran on Thursday denied playing any role in last week's failed missile attack on a U.S. Navy vessel in the Red Sea, saying reports coming from Washington are "baseless and paranoid."
"The ambiguous and contradictory remarks by American officials in past days are wrong and inappropriate, showing their bewilderment in the Yemen conflict," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state-run television.
On Oct. 9, two missiles were fired at the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason while it was in international waters off the coast of Yemen. The Pentagon said the missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, told a Washington think tank on Wednesday that he believes "Iran is playing a role in some of this."
"They have a relationship with the Houtis, so I do suspect there is a role in there," he said.
Ghasemi accused the U.S. Army of "directly or indirectly" having a role in war crimes in Yemen and warned them to be careful about the "swamp" that the war in Yemen could create for the United States and its allies.
The conflict in Yemen began in 2014, and has led to thousands of people being killed and millions displaced.